The Battle of Tanlwe Chaung took place in Burma on the 26th of April 1945. It was fought by the 22nd East African Brigade, commonly known as the RAR (Rhodesian African Rifles) and Imperial Japanese forces. The Battle resulted in the deaths of 14 RAR men [1] and an unknown number of Japanese forces, with the RAR overrunning the Japanese and gaining vital ground.
RAR Preparations[]
In March, the 22nd East African Brigade assisted the 4th Indian Infantry Brigade, in advancing south towards the town of Tanugup. On the 17th of April command of Tanugap was handed over to the 22nd East African Brigade.[2] The battalion was split into four companies, their HQ was established on the 20th of April 1945. It was protected by A company, the other three companies took up defensive positions around the Chaung.
Battle Reconnaissance[]
At 1300 on the 20th of April, Japanese forces began to fire mortar and artillery rounds on RAR positions, along with horrific rain, the moral of RAR forces was weakened. Two reconnaissance patrols were sent to survey two features codenamed "Bergner" and "Valerie". The patrol from D company encountered Japanese light machine gun fire, confirming that both features were held by concealed Japanese forces.
On the 24th of April, three more RAR patrols were sent to pinpoint machine gun placements, one from each company. During which B company suffered their first fatality of the battle, after a heavy machine gun opened up on B Company's Bren gunner.
The Battle[]
On the morning of the 26th of April two West African .37 Howitzer batteries began to fire on Bergner and Valerie assisted by Hawker Hurricanes.[3] A company's mortar platoon began to fire on Bergner. From their positions A and D company advanced on Bergner. Artillery fire was then focused on Valerie, this caused confusion among Japanese forces. Soldiers dug in on Valerie abandoned their foxholes and went to the aid of their Japanese comrades on Bergner, at this point A company advanced catching the Japanese in open ground. The Japanese withdrew to the lower slopes.
A and D company then dug in on Valerie and Bergner. This allowed the HQ to be moved to the north of Bergner. This gave the Battalion HQ a good view of the surrounding area.
That night the Japanese mortared the RARs newly won positions and killed 3 men after hitting A company's trench. Japanese forced then attacked from the rear, this caused unrest among RAR soldiers and four men lost their lives through friendly fire.[4]
References[]
The original article can be found at Battle of Tanlwe Chaung and the edit history here.